aquarium lighting for anenomes, clams and corals

[saltwaternewbie22]

i was wondering if i want to keep anemones, clams, and corals in my 60g reef tank do i necessarily need metal halides or can i use t5 ho lighting?

 

[thominil]

How deep is your tank? T5 HO should be fine as long as your tank is less than 24" deep. Go with a 6 or 8 bulb fixture and you should be fine.

 

[Zer0]

You can use T5 HO lighting. You just need to get a very strong light fixture. Something with upwards of around 6 or 8 bulbs. I know Current USA have some T5 fixtures with 6 to 8 bulbs. However, MH lighting may be a better option for you since you tank is pretty deep and pretty wide im assuming. With MH's you will definitely be able to keep nems, but with the T5 in a tank that size, i'm not so sure. But then again, i'm not an expert at lighting, just relaying some of the info i've seen here to you.

 

[saltwaternewbie22]

my tank deminsions are 36x18x21. Is that too deep for the t5's? i guess im just a little worried about the mh heating up my tank and me having to buy a chiller they are kinda expensive.

 

[saltwaternewbie22]

another question i know anemones shouldnt be added to a tank under 8 months old but are corals the same way or can i get a few now? if so what kind?

 

[thominil]

You should be fine with T5 HO then. Coral can be added a month or two after your first fish. The month or two is just to give your tank a little time to stabilize after the cycle. Try some zoanthids and/or mushrooms to start.

 

[saltwaternewbie22]

have u had ant experience dealing with clowns?

 

[saltwaternewbie22]

i have two pecular clowns and i was wondering if there was anything that they may prefer to host in? if they host better in corals than anemones..etc?

 

[melosu58]

another question i know anemones shouldnt be added to a tank under 8 months old but are corals the same way or can i get a few now? if so what kind?

There are some easy corals you can start with after you wait a few months for your tank to stabilize like thom said. Mushrooms, button polyps and yellow polyps are good starters.

 

[thominil]

Clowns hosting an anemone or anything else is just a hit or miss.

 

[cmor1701d]

Clowns will host almost anything they want to. Anemones are best left in the ocean where they will live far longer than our tanks will be around. Unless you know you are getting a captive fragged anemone I would suggest not buying one.

 

[thincat]

cmor is correct. anemones will host in a lot of different things. Try and get captive bred clowns. They are better adapted to tank life.
Here is a picture of my Clarkii hosting a fake anemone.

I call the anemone my "rubber tip anemone". Hahaha lol

 

[jbowles]

Does the clarkii ever try to feed the fake nem? just curious lol. I have 2 Nem's in my tank, a long tentacle that my saddleback host and a sebae that my pair of percula's both host. But i have seen a maroon clown that host some Frilly mushrooms lol.

 

[thincat]

He plays musical chairs with rotating from the fake to the featherduster. I have not noticed it feeding them.